Tuesday, January 12, 2010

What happens to a person who cannot keep from driving while they are intoxicated? The answer is they get a DUI and have to pay several fines and attend alcohol information classes which require a certain amount of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Unfortunately, sometimes that is not a big enough deterrent and people drive drunk again; the second DUI and third DUI are not as fun, usually requiring jail time, loss of license and very expensive fines. Sadly, people still continue to risk their life and the lives of others and are not concerned about their DUI history. A man from the State of Maine was sentenced to seven years in prison for driving drunk for the 10th time, operating after the revocation of his driver's license for the 11th time and for violating his probation. Stephen F. Faulcon, 51, "told Superior Court Justice William Anderson that he needed long-term in-patient treatment for alcoholism and counseling, not more time in prison. He asked to be released to Derek House, a faith-based, in-patient treatment center associated with Manna Inc. in Bangor after he serves his prison term. He also asked that his probation be continued", according to the Bangor Daily. Faulcon is clearly an alcoholic that needed help a long time ago for his addiction, treatment would be the right place for him but he cannot get out of his sentence.

Faulcon will have to serve at least five years before being released to a treatment center could even be considered. The State of Maine passed a law in 2006 named after Tina Turcotte, who died in an accident caused by a driver who had 63 prior driving convictions and had been in a fatal accident before he killed Tina. The Tina Turcotte Law is a great law and definitely helps keep the streets safe from repeat offenders. Faulcon had three DUI's in the last ten years which is completely unacceptable and hopefully seven years in prison will change his behavior in the future. The hope is that he finds a 12 step program in prison that will help him change his life for the better.